Students Overview Location Furniture/Contents Safety Stuff Viewing Rents & Deposits Contracts & Paperwork Other Information Parents

Overview

We have a range of 3 to 9 bed student houses/flats, which are provided specifically for students studying at either the University of Southampton or Southampton Institute. We also have properties which are just next door to each other, so if you have a party which exceeds seven people, we should still be able to accommodate you.

Location

Our properties are within easy reach of either the University or the Institute, and we also have properties conveniently located to Southampton General Hospital which is available primarily for student doctors or nurses. All our properties are within walking distance to the local amenities, as well as being at the hub of student life. In addition to this the majority of our properties are located near the Uni-Link bus routes.

There is a large student presence in Southampton, and it is generally accepted that the University and Institute's 32,000 students bring a huge amount of benefits to the city, and live harmoniously with the locals. The majority of our properties are located in mainly student areas, which means that you.ll be right next door to other students in the same situation as you.

Furniture/Contents

Each property benefits from Central Heating and all our houses and flats are double glazed. All properties come with a separate lounge, and in addition to this all our student properties come fully furnished, have hand-basins in all bedrooms and include a minimum of the following and a majority of the houses have more:

Bedrooms a bed a wardrobe a chest of drawers a table and a chair Kitchen a gas or electric cooker fridge/freezer an adequate number of fitted kitchen units facilities for a washing machine to be plumbed in Bathroom all properties have both a bath and showers larger properties will have more than one bathroom Lounge a coffee table a dinning table & chairs sofa, suitable enough to cater for the number of student residents

Safety Stuff

In accordance with the current safety legislation, all our furniture is fire resistant. In addition to this all our properties are covered by up to date certificates for all gas (CORGI) and electrical (NICEIC) appliances.

In case of emergencies our office telephone number is manned twenty-four hours a day, and we also have dedicated maintenance workers, who will do their best to ensure that any safety issues are attended to straight away.

Viewing

In our experience it is more helpful for prospective tenants to view the properties with the current students. This way you can not only find out about the property itself, but you can also gage what we.re like as landlords. The current tenants will be expecting to answer any questions you may have and they will be happy to do so.

If you are interested in viewing any of our student properties, feel free to contact us. We will be able to provide you with details of all the accommodation we still have available that may suit your needs. If you have a particular property in mind we will advise you whether or not the property is still available, and provide you with a telephone number for the current tenants if we have one. Prospective tenants should feel free to contact the current students and arrange a time to view the property. Alternatively, if the property is displaying a .To Let. notice, just knock on the door and ask to have a look around.

Rent & Deposits

The deposits we require will be equal to one months rent, plus £50.00 from each prospective tenant. These should be paid either by cash or cheque on the signing of the tenancy agreement. All deposits are held for the duration of the tenancy contract and are fully refundable once the contract has ended, provided that the tenancy contract has been adhered to. However as private landlords we DO NOT charge fees.

Rent is payable either by standing order or 12 post-dated cheques on the first of each month. Standing Order forms will be provided to all tenants, and these should be returned to our office as soon as possible after the contract has been signed. If you decide to pay by post-dated cheque, these should be brought to the office before the start of the tenancy.

Contracts & Paperwork

The tenancy contract offered is an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, which is taken out for a fixed term of one year from 1 July to 30 June the following year. We only offer a .Joint & Several. contract for our properties, which means that an agreement exists between all the tenants in the property and the landlord, as opposed to an agreement existing between the landlord and each individual tenant.

In addition to the deposit, we require all students to provide a .guarantor.. This means that we require a parent, carer or other responsible next of kin to complete a Guarantor form. The Guarantor forms are available from our office and we will provide all prospective tenants with a form when signing the tenancy contract.

Other Information

The rent charges do not include any bills. When you move into the property it is recommended that you contact all relevant suppliers and supply them with your details and a meter reading if applicable. With regards to other facilities such as internet access and cable television, we are happy for students to arrange for these facilities to be installed as long as we receive notification. However, in accordance with the tenancy contract students will be solely liable for these facilities.

As students, you will be exempt from council tax charges. We require that you provide us with your student registrations slips as soon as you have enrolled in the new academic year. The registration slips will be held at our office and copies will be sent to Southampton.s Local Taxation Services to ensure that no charges for council tax will be applied during the duration of your tenancy.

Finally, we also offer an inexpensive contents insurance scheme that insures both your belongings and the existing contents of the property against accidental damage. Safeguarding your security deposit throughout the duration of the tenancy, i.e carpet damage/burns etc..

Contact Us

If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can email us at post@homelifelettings.co.uk, telephone us on 02380 586838, or 07831 673641 or fax us on 02380 321254.

Parents:

If you have any concerns about you son or daughter renting a home or would like to know more about it, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help.